Rueben Randle to Eagles: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

After years of being an underrated cog in the New York Giants offense, Rueben Randle is headed to Philadelphia.

Randle and the Eagles agreed to a one-year deal on Friday, which is for $3 million ($500,000 guaranteed), per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Working as the Giants' No. 2 receiver due to Victor Cruz's absence, Randle posted 57 receptions for 797 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. It was the second straight season Randle was thrust into a bigger-than-expected role due to injury.

Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews seemed excited to welcome Randle's production to the fold:

In 2014, however, Randle made the most of his opportunity. He set career highs in receptions (71) and yards (938) while appearing to emerge as a legitimate WR2. The version of Randle who showed up in 2015 was far closer to average. Randle finished the season ranked No. 123 in yards after the catch, and publicly voiced his displeasure with his role. 

“My opportunities have been cut down a little more,” Randle said, per Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. “Odell [Beckham Jr.] is pretty much the prime target for us offensively... It’s definitely frustrating. As a receiver you want to get more involved. It can be kind of tough when the opportunities are limited.”

Randle can likely blame those reduced opportunities on him not getting a more substantive offer in free agency. Neither SB Nation nor Sports Illustrated ranked him among the top 100 free agents. NFL.com ranked him just 92nd. The Giants may have also been eager to move on, with many—including ESPN's Dan Graziano—speculating that the team would allow him to walk in free agency.

The real question here is why everyone has soured on him so much. Randle, despite not having a great season, doesn't turn 25 until May. He's a former second-round pick who has had NFL success and appears at the very least capable of carrying a WR2 workload.

What's more, Randle dropped only three passes in 2015. His drop rate of 3.3 percent is on par with Allen Robinson and eclipses the likes of Alshon Jeffery, Randall Cobb and Demaryius Thomas. Football Outsiders also ranked Randle 21st in its DYAR metric and 29th in DVOA. Those numbers don't make Randle an elite receiver by any stretch, but he's probably closer to a quality WR2. By FO's numbers Randle actually had his best season in 2015.

The truth is probably somewhere in between. Randle is neither a replacement-level nightmare nor someone who has been held back from superstardom. If he fits somewhere in the average WR2 to above-average WR3 category, that's perfectly fine. But Randle is still young enough to have a second mini leap if he finds the right system. 

Randle should slot in as Philly's third receiver in 2016, behind Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor. With Agholor not really impressing as a rookie, it's possible Randle even presses him for the second receiver spot. Having used a high pick on wideouts each of the last two years, it's unlikely much more competition is coming this offseason.

The Eagles will have their fingers crossed Randle's underlying numbers translate on the field.

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